Enhanced Multi-Ply Tissue Products

ABSTRACT

Tissues are provided as multi-ply tissue products having greater tactile sensation and resiliency in hand. Improved tissues may have a thickened and reduced density middle layer. The tissues may serve as applicators for chemical agents to be released during use of the tissue. A tissue having an improved tactile impression to the consumer, with enhanced resilience and high external bulk is disclosed. In one embodiment, a multi-ply structure having at least three plies is desirable. A middle or intermediate ply is comprised an increased thickness and a greater bulk is employed. In general, the exterior plies of the tissue are smooth and desirable to the consumer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Absorbent products such as paper towels, industrial wipers, baby wipers,tissue, food service wipers, and the like are designed to provideseveral important properties. For example, the products should have goodbulk characteristics and a soft feel. The products should be highlyabsorbent to fluids, including bodily fluids. In many cases, theproducts need good strength even after they become wet. Some productsrequire a high resistance to tearing. Small changes in the structure ormanufacturing processes of such products can provide a profound impacton the ultimate sensation to the user. Attempts have been made in thepast to enhance and increase the physical characteristics of multi-plytissue products.

One advantage of providing a multi-ply product as opposed to a singleply product is that different plies may provide different properties tothe overall product. For example, disposable absorbent articles such asdiapers may have a permeable first ply such as a liner in a diaper, anabsorbent middle ply such as an absorbent core, and an impermeable outerply such as a cover or backsheet. In contrast to diaper products, tissueproducts customarily have comprised two or three permeable plies ofmaterial. Some of the most popular tissue products on the market todayinclude multiple plies for enhanced softness and thickness. For example,some of the premium tissues currently sold in the United States havethree plies, all of which generally are structurally equivalent andequally permeable. That is, in many tissues multiple plies are providedwhich are essentially the same and are combined together to form asingle multi-ply tissue. Typically, tissues in the prior art have pliesthat are structurally similar. However, some tissue products are knownto have existed with heterogeneous (dissimilar) plies. Heterogeneousplies are used to accomplish several objectives in the tissue industry,such as, enhancement of strength without a reduction in softness. Insome cases, heterogeneous plies can provide a mechanism to bury orseparate potentially harsh or irritating substances into the center ofthe tissue, thereby preventing irritation to the user at the surface ofthe tissue. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,847 to Rothe et al. Insome cases, a multi-ply structure has been used to provide an absorbentcore in the center of the tissue, such as provided in U.S. Pat. No.5,437,908 (Demura et al.).

At least one known disclosure is directed to forming a tissue product orlaminate from two dissimilar paper webs. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,017(Flautt, Jr.). The Flautt patent describes a web of low density, highbulk process paper united with a web of conventional paper. Variationsdescribed in the Flautt disclosure include using two paper webs havingdifferent creping characteristics to form the laminated sanitary tissue.It is quite possible that such a structure would be useful for an endproduct such as a paper towel.

Several recent United States patents disclose multi-ply tissues in whicha ply includes relatively low density regions dispersed throughout arelatively high density continuous network. See U.S. Pat. Nos.5,830,558; 5,906,711; and 5,919,556 each issued on behalf of inventorSteven Lee Barnholtz. The stated goal of such heterogeneous tissues isincreased absorbency. Barnholtz discloses a three ply tissue structurein which a center or middle ply comprises a more dense, thinner ply. Seefor example FIGS. 2A and 2B of each patent. The center ply is thinnerthan the outer plies, and it is generally more compact and more densethan the outer plies. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,711; column 9, lines28-36.

One problem with tissues having a thin, dense and compact middle ply isthat such tissues tend to lack the superior softness that is desired byconsumers. Further, the bulk and resiliency of tissues having a thin anddense middle ply is less than desirable. A thin, dense middle ply doesnot provide the smooth, bulky, resilient feel that consumers prefer intissues of this type.

What is needed in the industry is a multi-ply paper product or tissuethat is durable and soft having increased resiliency and enhancedsubstance in hand. Further, a tissue with a thicker middle ply, and aless dense (i.e. more bulky) middle ply is desirable. Furthermore, it ishighly desirable to provide a product having multiple plies in whichmiddle plies of the tissue are structurally or chemically enhanced toimprove products functional performance, e.g. doesn't tear, shred orfall apart in use. A strong tissue that is also soft would be asubstantial improvement over the art. Higher bulk, less dense andthicker middle layers provide advantages to the overall feel of tissues.Further, it would be desirable to find a way to store a substance withina tissue, and then enable release of the substance at a later time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a tissue havingsuperior tactile properties and greater bulk characteristics.Surprisingly, it has been discovered that certain mechanical or chemicalmodifications to individual plies within a multi-ply tissue can lead toimproved tissues having greater bulk and tactile effects to the user. Atissue having a thickened middle ply with less density and greater bulkis disclosed.

A method of manufacturing a tissue having three plies with chemicalenhancement is another embodiment of the invention. At least oneembodiment comprises a multi-ply tissue comprising a plurality of plieswherein one ply is structurally different from at least one of the otherplies. In many cases, the tissue will be manufactured using conventionaltissue manufacturing technology as further described below.

In one embodiment the invention comprises a tissue having three plies,comprising a sandwich-type structure having a permeable first outer ply,a middle ply lying adjacent the outer ply and a second outer ply, thesecond outer ply lying adjacent the middle ply. In the tissue, themiddle ply is thickened as compared to the outer plies. Further, in someembodiments, the middle ply provides enhanced tactile sensation in thecomposite tissue structure. Thus, the tissue may be more bulky, soft, orfragrant, or may impart other chemical advantages to the user, dependingupon how the tissue is treated in subsequent steps. Further, the tissuehas a less dense, fluffed or more highly bulked middle ply in someembodiments.

In other embodiments, the tissue may include chemical alterationsassociated with the thickened middle ply. In one embodiment, a thickenedmiddle ply may be provided which comprises secondary fiber, Coform orcurled fibers. In other embodiments, the middle plies contain activatedcarbon or foam. Many different materials may be provided in the middleply to increase bulk and reduce the density of the tissue, facilitatingincreased absorbency, resulting in a more substantial and resilienttissue product. In one embodiment, the tissue of the middle plycomprises a foam. In other embodiments, the tissue may include chemicalalterations, further wherein the chemical alterations are effected byspraying, printing, embossing, dipping or the like on one or more plies.In one embodiment, chemical alterations during basesheet manufacturingsuch as wet end addition, or creping additives or by spraying the web onthe felt, to one or more plies is provided.

In one aspect of the invention, a tissue having three plies is disclosedand claimed. The three ply tissue has in this instance a permeable firstouter ply, a middle ply, and a second outer ply, the second outer plylying adjacent the middle ply, wherein the middle ply is between thefirst outer ply and the second outer ply. A three ply “sandwich” isformed, and the middle ply can be modified in any number of ways toprovide more substantial effects to the consumer. The first outer ply,middle ply, and second outer plies are joined to form a tissue havingenhanced softness or thickness. Further, the tissue has at least one plythat is chemically enhanced. For example, one method of such enhancementis by applying activated carbon, and another method involves theapplication of foam.

In one embodiment, a tissue wherein at least one ply is treated with atissue enhancer is shown. By tissue enhancer, we mean to refer to eithera chemical or mechanical treatment of the tissue in one of severalmethods or procedures as described herein, including, for example foamor activated carbon application, or chemical carrying capability.Chemical enhancement refers to a chemical treatment of a tissue using achemical composition. Each of these enhancers may provide a uniqueproperty to the tissue. In some cases, the tissue additionally comprisesan antibacterial or antiviral agent which kills or slows thereproduction of bacteria and viruses and thereby promotes the health oftissue users.

The tissues of this invention can provide a multi-ply tissue having atleast three plies in which the plies that do not comprise an outwardlyfacing surface of the tissue structure may be composed of relativelycoarser material versus the outer plies which are relatively smoother.In some embodiments, the tissue has a middle ply which is noncreped ormechanically altered by various means to provide a thicker tissue.

In some cases, it may be possible to provide plies of tissue that act aschemical carriers, which may transport a chemical substance to a user.Chemical carriers are carried by the plies, and then can be releasedfrom the tissue to the user during use. In one aspect of the invention,a soft, multi-ply tissue with smooth outer surfaces and a bulky middleis provided to the user which provides a tactile impression of substanceand resilience to the user. Some embodiments of the invention willprovide to the user improved fluid absorbency and fluid retentionproperties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of this invention, including the bestmode known to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in theremainder of this specification. The following Figures illustrate theadvantages of this invention:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a typical prior art tissue configurationhaving two dissimilar paper webs combined together;

FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of this invention including a threeply tissue structure with smooth tissue plies on the exterior sides ofthe tissue and a thickened, bulky ply on the interior of the tissue;

FIG. 3 depicts several variations showing the application of a chemicalsubstance to a selected portion of a tissue.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is known that the addition of a third ply to a facial tissuecomposite structure can provide enhanced softness. In one invention ofthis application a composite structure is provided with modified pliesthat enhances the substance and resiliency of the multi ply tissueproduct. A thickened middle ply having less density and greater bulk isdesirable.

As seen in the prior art shown in FIG. 1, known methods of producingsanitary tissue products include providing laminates formed from twodissimilar paper webs. When a web of low density, high bulk processpaper is united with a web of conventional paper, a product havingabsorbency, softness, flexibility and bulk properties can be achieved.In the prior art, it is known to provide two dissimilar paper webshaving different creping characteristics to form the laminated sanitarytissue. In FIG. 1, such a multi-ply tissue product 10 is showncomprising a high bulk process paper 12 and conventional paper 13. Thetwo plies are combined to form a multi-ply tissue in such a way thatvoid spaces 11 exist between the two plies. The void spaces provide atissue with more bulk.

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of this invention. In that Figure, a softmulti-ply tissue with smooth outer surfaces providing a tactileimpression of substance and resilience is shown. A middle layer that isthickened is provided, in which the middle layer of this particularembodiment is provided in a corrugated or ridged pattern for enhancedbulk and thickness. The middle ply provides increased bulk andthickness. The combination of smoothness and substance is obtained froma multi-ply structure that comprises at least three plies in thepreferred embodiment. The outer surfaces typically are smooth, softtissue, such as produced by wet pressed tissue making processes(described below).

In FIG. 2, improved multi-ply tissue 15 is shown. The improved multi-plytissue is comprised of first outer ply 16 and second outer ply 18.Sandwiched between the plies 16 and 18 (which are smooth tissue plies)is a thickened middle tissue ply 17, that may be textured. The middleply 17 provides a less dense, higher caliper ply as compared to theouter plies. In one embodiment, the middle ply is at least 1.3 timesgreater in thickness or caliper than either of the outer plies.

For purposes of this specification, the caliper is generally thethickness of a single sheet, but measured as the thickness of a stack of10 sheets and dividing the ten-sheet thickness by 10, wherein each sheetin the stack is placed with the same side up. Caliper is usuallyexpressed in microns. Caliper is measured in accordance with TAPPI testmethods T402 “Standard Conditioning and Testing Atmosphere for Paper,Board, Pulp Handsheets and Related Products” which is used by persons ofskill in the art of tissue making. Additionally, T411 om-89 “Thickness(caliper) of Paper, Paperboard, and Combined Board” with Note 3 is usedto measure Caliper for stacked sheets. Further, the micrometer used forcarrying out the T411 om-89 tests is a Bulk Micrometer (Emveco Model200-A, Newberg, Oreg.) having an anvil diameter of 2.221 inches (56.42millimeters) and an anvil pressure of 132 grams/square inch (2.00kiloPascals). After the Caliper is measured, the same ten sheets in thestack are used to determine the average basis weight of the sheets.

The bulk of the tissue products of this invention is calculated as thequotient of the Caliper (expressed in microns) divided by the basisweight, expressed in grams per square meter. The resulting Bulk isexpressed as cubic centimeters per gram.

Geometric mean tensile strength (GMT) is the square root of the productof the machine direction tensile strength and the cross-machinedirection tensile strength. Tensile strength is measured with an Instrontensile tester using a 3 inches jaw width, a 4 inches jaw span, and acrosshead speed of 10 inches per minute. For example, in U.S. Pat. No.5,935,383, entitled “Method for Improved Wet Strength Paper”,measurements are taken in conditions consisting of 50% relative humidityand 72 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 24 hours, with the tensile testrun at a crosshead speed of 1 in/min. GMT can be computed from the peakload values of the machine direction (MD) and cross machine direction(CD) tensile curves. These values are obtained under laboratoryconditions of 23.0+/−1.0 degrees Celsius and 50.0+/−2.0 percent relativehumidity after the sheet (of tissue) has been equilibrated to thetesting conditions for a period of not less than four hours.

In the tissue shown in FIG. 2, the middle ply may be a flexible,textured, high bulk relative to the outer plies, resilient, may betextured rather than smooth. The finished tissue in one embodiment has aflexible corrugated structure while still providing surface smoothness.A tissue of this type has the ability to “glide” on the skin, while atthe same time providing a high degree of substance in hand andresiliency. The tissue of this type generally has better fluidabsorbency and fluid retention properties than prior art tissues.

In one embodiment, the textured tissue comprises a middle ply with ahigh degree of external bulk created by a corrugated or ridged structureas further shown in FIG. 2. In that way, the tissue may exhibit a highdegree of bulk and a high degree of flexibility. Thus, the tissues arebulky, yet not stiff. Since the textured tissue is plied between twosmooth tissue plies, the surface feel of the textured tissue is not ascritical to the overall performance of the tissue.

Modified wet pressed tissue (also known as MWP) is similar to wetpressed tissue except that dewatering is accomplished with an air pressand the tissue is pressed to the Yankee with a fabric rather than with afelt. MWP processes are known to persons of skill in the art, and U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,083,346; 6,096,169; and 6,080,279 are hereby incorporated byreference. MWP type tissues could be employed in the application of thisinvention. The web is pressed onto the Yankee with a fabric, so thetissue contacts the Yankee only at the fabric knuckles. In that way, thethree dimensional structure is preserved. In general, MWP tissues arebulkier than wet pressed tissues.

Paper products prepared from an uncreped through-air drying process willtypically possess relatively high levels of absorbent capacity, softnessand caliper. In addition, because the process avoids the use of costlycreping steps, tissues produced according to this process will generallybe more economical to produce than creped tissues of similar compositionand basis weight.

In conventional felted wet pressed tissue making processes, the wettissue web is carried on a felt to the Yankee dryer. The felt and tissueweb are pressed on the Yankee dryer to de-water the tissue web andadhere it to the Yankee dryer. The Yankee dryer completes the dryingprocess and the tissue is creped from the Yankee surface using a doctorblade or other suitable device. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.3,953,638; 5,324,575; 5,656,134; 5,685,954; and 5,690,788 which are eachhereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forthherein.

A process that produces a noncompressed sheet using can drying which maybe employed in the present invention is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,336,373 to Scattolino et al., which is incorporated herein byreference.

Suitable textured tissue base sheets can also include embossed,microembossed, and microstrained base sheets. Various techniques forembossing tissues are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,572 (Kershaw etal) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,406 (Wegele et al), each of which areincorporated by reference into this specification. Additional prior arttissue structures include tissues described in the following U.S.patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,556,509; 5,709,775; 5,776,312; 5,837,103;5,871,887; 4,637,859; 4,529,840; 5,814,190; 5,846,379; 5,685,954;5,690,788; 5,885,415; and 5,885,417. The specification and claims ofthese patents are incorporated into this specification by reference.

Processes for forming uncreped through-air dried webs are described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,779,860 to Hollenberg et al. and 5,048,589 to Cook etal., both of which are assigned to the assignee of this invention andboth of which are incorporated herein by reference. In such processes,through air drying is employed as shown in the Figures of Cook. Asdescribed and shown in Cook, a web is prepared by: (1) forming a furnishof cellulosic fibers, water, and a chemical debonder; (2) depositing thefurnish on a traveling foraminous belt, thereby forming a fibrous web ontop of the traveling foraminous belt; (3) subjecting the fibrous web tononcompressive drying to remove water from the fibrous web; and (4)removing the dried fibrous web from the traveling foraminous belt. Theprocess described in Cook does not include creping and is referred to asan uncreped through-air drying process.

In general, the preferred basis weights of products range from about 5to about 10 pound/2880 ft² per ply, yielding a finished basis weight forthe structure of from about 15 to about 30 pound/2880 ft². In someembodiments, the composite structure additionally may be treated withcompositions which transfer to the skin during use to promote skinhealth.

There are several advantages to paper structures shown in this patentapplication. For example, tissue products with heterogeneous plies asshown in the invention of this application enhance the strength of thetissue without reducing the softness. Further, potentially harsh orirritating substances may be disguised or buried in the center of thetissue in order to provide a benefit to the user that may otherwise beperceived as an irritating substance.

Virucidal agents may be employed in this invention, and examples of suchagents and their application are provided in one or more of thefollowing U.S. patents which are incorporated by reference into thisapplication: U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,021 (Mahl et al); U.S. Pat. No.4,764,418 (Kuenn et al); U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,912 (Hossain et al); U.S.Pat. No. 4,975,217 (Brown-Skrobot et al); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,847(Rothe et al).

Thus, “UCTAD” refers to uncreped through air dried tissue. The tissue isdried by blowing hot air through the web, rather than by contact with aYankee dryer. Stretch is imparted to the tissue by means of a rushtransfer rather than by creping. It produces a bulkier tissue thanconventional wet pressed (CWP) processes, in most cases. Two referencesdescribing the UCTAD process which are hereby incorporated by referenceinclude EP 0 677 612 A2 (Wendt et al) and EP 0 631 014 B1 (Farrington,Jr. et al.).

In many cases, it is possible to increase the basis weight of thetissues in an attempt to increase the tactile impression of substance.However, increasing the basis weight of webs sometimes provides littleimprovement in the tactile impression of substance at the cost ofincreased stiffness of the tissue.

Textured tissue webs, especially those produced by the UCTAD, MWP yielda tissue with a significant tactile impression of substance andresilience. The structure of these webs tends to be defined by aplurality of dome-like structures, in some cases. In some embodiments,the structure is a corrugated-like or ridged middle ply having increasedcaliper or thickness, and greater bulk. These structures provide a largeamount of external bulk to the overall tissue, with low stiffness.Reduced or diminished stiffness is a significant advantage in tissues.In this invention, by placing a ply of the above described textured basesheet between two plies of smooth soft base sheet, a tissue sandwichwith a smooth surface and tactile impression of substance and resiliencemay be produced. Such a tissue is a significant advance over the priorart tissues.

There are generally at least two means of achieving a middle ply andsurface enhancement. One means is by structural modifications of thetissue, and the other means is by chemical means. One embodiment of thisinvention shows a permeable first outer ply, an absorbent middle ply anda permeable second outer ply. Thus, a tissue product may be producedhaving in essence the same structure but two permeable plies instead ofone.

Current tissue products with enhanced softness such as the Kleenex®ColdCare® product line have multiple plies which are generallystructurally equivalent to each other.¹ Current prior art includesmethods of treating the outer two plies topically. In some cases, asofter thicker tissue can be achieved in this invention by creating athicker middle ply, wherein the thicker middle may be comprised of asecondary fiber. Secondary fibers are advantageous for middle pliesbecause they are relatively inexpensive. U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,624describes secondary fibers and how they may be used, and that patent ishereby incorporated by reference into this disclosure. Further, sincethe middle ply does not contact the skin of the user, inexpensivematerials are not a disadvantage when such a multi-ply structure isused. In many cases, a softer and thicker tissue can be achieved byproducing a ply comprised partly or entirely of foam. The preferred foamin that embodiment would be a polymeric foam such as may be provided insheet form. The sheet or sheets could be from about 0.01 to about 1 cmin thickness. The sheets could be perforated or slit, either to enhanceabsorption. ColdCare® and Kleenex® are registered trademarks of theKimberly-Clark Corporation.

Suitable absorbent foams may be provided using high internal phaseemulsions (“HIPE”), such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,921 toDyer et al. Further, crosslinked polyurethane foams also could beemployed in the practice of the invention.

Additionally, activated carbon also could be employed in one or morelayers of the tissue. In particular, activated carbon may beadvantageously applied to the middle layer. Activated carbon oractivated charcoal is available from commercial sources under tradenames such as Calgon CPG®, PCB®, Type SLG®, Type CAL®, and Type OL®,each of which is available from the Calgon Carbon Corporation.

In some cases, it is possible to use Coform as a middle ply to increasethe overall substance and absorbency in the tissue. “Coform” refersgenerally to web plies produced as described below. When coformed webplies are utilized, the coforming techniques disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,100,324 to Anderson et al., which is incorporated by reference, may beused.

A coformed nonwoven web is formed by combining in a gas stream a mixtureof meltblown thermoplastic and other fibers such as wood pulp or staplefibers. In the technique of making Coform, the thermoplastic and otherfibers are combined prior to the combined fibers being collected on aforming wire to form a coherent web of randomly dispersed fibers. Atypical coformed nonwoven web may comprise about 65% by weightcellulosic fibers and about 35% by weight thermoplastic fibers, althoughthis ratio may be varied to achieve various desirable properties in suchcoformed webs. When the present resulting laminate is formed, thelaminate may comprise about 50% by weight synthetic fibers and about 50%by weight cellulosic fibers, with other ratios also being suitable.

The basesheet of the tissue formed using Corform has high integrity andabsorbency. Another reference describing products and processes of thistype which use a textile staple fiber are shown in U.S. Pat. No.4,426,417 (incorporated by reference) issued to Meitner et al.

Calendering is a commonly used practice of pressing webs press rollsarranged successively. The term “calender” refers to a process forproducing fabrics, nonwoven webs, tissue, paper and the like thatreduces the caliper, or thickness, of such web and imparts surfaceeffects. Such surface effects may be increased gloss or smoothness. Ingeneral, the process of calendering includes passing the web through twoor more heavy rollers which are sometimes heated.

As persons of skill in the art will be aware, numerous conventionalmethods or techniques exist for embossing or calendering the tissue. Forexample, EP 0 566 755 A1 and EP 0739 708 A2 (incorporated by reference)describe embossing techniques in general, and also wall angle of femaleembossing elements to achieve better pattern definition and higher bulk.Further, EP 0688 152 B1 (incorporated by reference) describesconventional techniques of microembossing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,812(incorporated by reference) to Salman et al describes techniques ofprocessing the web by consecutively calendering and embossing.

Chemical modifications to the middle plies or to adjacent surfaces ofthe outer plies surfaces may be performed in many ways. Various chemicalmodifications include spraying, printing, wet-end addition andembossing.

FIG. 3 shows various ways that chemical modifications could be provided.Chemically modified tissues 20 are shown. Chemically modified tissue 21includes a uniform and even distribution of chemical substance to thetissue 23. It can be seen in FIG. 3 that in this instance the chemicalmodification extends all the way to the tissue perimeter 22. Chemicallymodified tissue 24, on the other hand, contains a chemical modificationapplied only to the center portion of the tissue as seen in ellipticalzone 25. A further example is seen in chemically modified tissue 26,which contains a circular zone 27.

Furthermore, other methods of application could include discreetmodified zones, or other patterns such as stripes, dots, corrugatedpatterns and the like.

EXAMPLES

The following description of conventional wet pressed tissue, MWP, andUCTAD techniques are summarized and incorporated into several of thefollowing examples.

Conventional Wet Pressed Tissue (“CWP”)

In a typical application of the invention, a low consistency pulpfurnish is provided in a pressurized headbox. The headbox has an openingfor delivering a thin deposit of pulp furnish onto a foraminous formingfabric to form a wet web. The web is then typically dewatered to a fiberconsistency of between about 7% and about 25% (total web weight basis)by vacuum dewatering and further dried by pressing operations whereinthe web is subjected to pressure developed by opposing mechanicalmembers such as, cylindrical rolls. The dewatered web is then furtherpressed and dried by a stream drum apparatus known in the art as aYankee dryer. Pressure can be developed at the Yankee dryer bymechanical means such as an opposing cylindrical drum pressing againstthe web. The web is generally carried on a smooth felt as it is pressedbetween the pressing cylinder and the Yankee dryer, resulting insubstantially uniform compression. The web is adhered to the Yankeedryer by compressional forces and adhesive. When the web is dry it isscraped from the Yankee dryer with a doctor blade in a process known inthe art as creping. Creping foreshortens and softens the resulting web.Conventional wet pressed (“CWP”) webs are considered to be compactedsince the web is subjected to substantial mechanical compressionalforces while the fibers are moist and are then dried and creped while ina compressed state.

Conventional wet pressed tissue plies used in the following examplesshowed a basis weight of about 7.5 lbs/2880 ft² and a geometric meantensile of about 850 grams/3-inches (measured as three plies).

MWP

“MWP” refers to a modified wetpressed tissuemaking process. In a typicalprocess a low consistency pulp furnish is provided in a pressurizedheadbox. The headbox has an opening for delivering a thin deposit ofpulp furnish onto a formaninous forming fabric to form a wet web. Theweb is then typically dewatered to a fiber consistency of about 30% to40% (total web weight basis) by a noncompressive dewatering means suchas an air press. The term “noncompressive dewatering” refers todewatering methods that do not involve compressive nips or other stepscausing significant densification or compression of a portion of the webduring the dewatering process. The dewatered web is then transferred toa molding fabric. The molded and dewatered web is then pressed againstthe surface of a heated drying cylinder, such as a Yankee dryer, to drythe web. The web may optionally be creped. In the case of a creped web,the web is adhered to the heated drying cylinder by the pressing forcesand adhesive. When the web is dry it is scraped from the Yankee dryerwith a doctor blade. Creping shortens and softens the resulting web. MWPwebs are considered to be generally noncompacted since the web iscompressed only at the knuckles of the molding fabric, resulting inlarge noncompressed areas and a bulkier web. MWP webs also tend to beresilient because structure is molded into webs before they are dried.

MWP plies used in the examples were produced with an Appleton Brand WireT216-3A molding fabric. Basis weight was about 10.25 lbs/2880 ft² andgeometric mean tensile was about 1470 grams/3-inches (measured as2-plies).

UCTAD

The term UCTAD refers to an uncreped through air dried tissuemakingprocess. Through air dried is sometimes abbreviated simply as “TAD”. Ina typical process, a low consistency pulp furnish is provided in apressurized headbox. The headbox has an opening for delivering a thindeposit of pulp furnish onto a foraminous forming fabric to form a wetweb. The web is then typically dewatered to a fiber consistency ofbetween about 7% and about 25% (total web weight basis) by vacuumdewatering. The wet web is then transferred to a transfer fabric whichis typically traveling at a speed 20% to 40% slower than the formingfabric. This imparts machine direction stretch to the finished web. Theweb is then transferred to a throughdryer/molding fabric. The web isthen simultaneously dried by one or more through air dryers and moldedto the surface conformation of the fabric. The dried web is then woundinto rolls for converting into product. UCTAD webs are considered to benon-compacted since the web is subjected to minimal mechanicalcompressional forces while the fibers are moist, and the web is dried bya non-compressive means. UCTAD webs tend to be bulkier and moreresilient than CWP webs.

UCTAD plies used in the examples were produced with an Appleton BrandWire T1205-1 throughdryer/molding fabric. Basis weight was about 11lbs/2880 ft², geometric mean tensile was about 1000 grams/3-inches(measured as 2 plies), and caliper was about 0.0020-inch (measured as 2plies).

Fabricless TAD

It is possible to form a through air dried tissue (TAD) withoutemploying a forming fabric. When such a process is employed, it isdeemed or called “fabricless TAD”.

Example 1

A multi-ply tissue is provided having a first outer ply of CTEC and asecond outer ply of CWP. Furthermore, the middle ply is provided usingan uncreped through air dried tissue (UCTAD). To denote tissues in thefollowing examples, the abbreviation or designations will read from leftto right, from one outer ply to another outer ply, as such:

CWP/UCTAD/CWP, which denotes CWP as a first outer ply, UCTAD as a middleply, and another CWP as the second outer ply.

Example 2

In this example, a three ply tissue is manufactured as above described,except that the three layer structure comprises:

UCTAD/CWP/UCTAD. Example 3

In this example, a three ply tissue is manufactured as above described,except that the three layer structure comprises:

MWP/CWP/MWP. Example 4

In this example, a three ply tissue is manufactured as above described,except that the three layer structure comprises:

CWP/MWP/MWP. Example 5

In this example, a three ply tissue is manufactured as above described,except that the three layer structure comprises:

Fabricless TAD/CWP/Fabricless TAD. Example 6

In this example, a three ply tissue is manufactured as provided asdescribed, except that the three layer structure comprises:

CWP/Fabricless TAD/CWP. Example 7

In this example, a three ply tissue is made so as to provide a threelayer structure comprising:

MWP/UCTAD/MWP. Example 8

Prototype three ply tissues were printed with a lotion formulationhaving the following properties:

Approximate Ingredient Percentage (%) Prolipid 141 (InternationalSpecialty Products 2.00 Avocado oil (Alnoroil) 2.00 Soya sterol 0.80Vitamin E acetate (Roche) 0.30 Petrolatum (Ultra Chemical) 8.00Propylene glycol 30.80 Glycerin 5.00 Aloe vera powder (Terry labs) 0.10PEG 8000 (Union Carbide) 20.00 Behenyl alcohol (Glenn Chemical) 10.00Stearyl alcohol (Glenn Chemical) 10.00 Dimethicone 100 Cst (Dow Corning)10.00 DC 1428 (Dow Corning) 1.00

Linespeed was about 1500 ft/minute, processing temperature was about140° F., and the gravure rolls were 5.4 cbm/1.5 cbm striped rolls.Target add-on was 8% based on the weight of the treated tissue. Offsetprinting was employed.

Example 9

The formulation of Example 8 was employed in preparing the Examples 9and 10.

UCTAD/CWP/UCTAD

This prototype has relatively low GMT, but is thick and heavy with anevident lotiony feel.

Example 10

The formulation of Example 7 was used, also employing the followingstructure:

CWP/UCTAD/CWP

This prototype has relatively low GMT, but is thick and heavy, with anevident lotiony feel. The combination of out-facing smooth plies withinternal cushion is quite different from 3-ply CWP product. Propertiesof this 3 ply tissue were as follows:

Basis Weight: 28.8 lb/2880 ft2 Caliper: 0.012 inches GMT: 691grams/3-inches

These and other modifications and variations to the present inventionmay be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention isparticularly set forth in the appended claims. Further, it should beunderstood that aspects of the various embodiments disclosed in thisspecification may be interchanged both in whole or in part, withoutdeparting from the invention. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill inthe art will appreciate that this description is by way of example only,and is not intended to limit the invention as described in the claims.

1-16. (canceled)
 17. A composite tissue structure comprising: apermeable first outer web containing pulp fibers, the first outer webcomprising a modified wet pressed tissue web; at least one middle webcontaining pulp fibers, the at least one middle web comprising aconventional wet pressed tissue web; a permeable second outer webcontaining pulp fibers, the second outer web comprising a modified wetpressed tissue web, the middle web being positioned in between the firstand second outer webs; and wherein the middle web has a thicknessgreater than the thickness of either the first or the second outer web,the middle web also having a bulk that is greater than the bulk ofeither the first or second outer web.
 18. A composite tissue structureas defined in claim 17, wherein the middle web has a thickness of fromabout 0.01 cm to about 1 cm.
 19. A composite tissue structure as definedin claim 17, wherein the middle web additionally comprises an absorbentfoam.
 20. A composite tissue structure as defined in claim 17, whereinthe middle web further comprises activated carbon.
 21. A compositetissue structure as defined in claim 17, wherein the tissue structure iscalendered.
 22. A composite tissue structure as defined in claim 17,wherein the middle web has a thickness that is at least 1.3 timesgreater than the thickness of the first outer web and that is at least1.3 times greater than the thickness of the second outer web.
 23. Acomposite tissue structure as defined in claim 17, wherein the middleweb is treated with a creping adhesive.
 24. A composite tissue structureas defined in claim 17, wherein the middle web has been formed bydewatering a wet web while held on a felt, pressing the felt against aheated drum thereby transferring the web to the drum and creping the webfrom the drum.
 25. A composite tissue structure as defined in claim 17,wherein the first outer web and the second outer web are formed bydewatering a wet web, transferring the dewatered web to a molding fabricand pressing the web against the surface of a heated cylinder while onthe molding fabric, the web being compressed when pressed against theheated cylinder at locations where knuckles reside on the moldingfabric.
 26. A composite tissue structure as defined in claim 17, whereinthe middle web contains secondary fibers.
 27. A composite tissuestructure comprising: a permeable first outer web containing pulpfibers, the first outer web comprising a conventional wet pressed tissueweb; at least one middle web containing pulp fibers, the at least onemiddle web comprising a modified wet pressed tissue web; a permeablesecond outer web containing pulp fibers, the second outer web comprisinga modified wet pressed tissue web, the middle web being positioned inbetween the first and second outer webs; and wherein the middle web hasa thickness greater than the thickness of either the first or the secondouter web, the middle web also having a bulk that is greater than thebulk of either the first or second outer web.
 28. A composite tissuestructure as defined in claim 27, wherein the middle web has a thicknessof from about 0.01 cm to about 1 cm.
 29. A composite tissue structure asdefined in claim 27, wherein the middle web has a thickness that is atleast 1.3 times greater than the thickness of the first outer web andthat is at least 1.3 times greater than the thickness of the secondouter web.
 30. A composite tissue structure as defined in claim 27,wherein the first outer web has been treated with a creping adhesive.31. A composite tissue structure comprising: a permeable first outer webcontaining pulp fibers, the first outer web comprising a creped web; atleast one middle web containing pulp fibers, the middle web comprising acreped web, the middle web additionally comprising an absorbent foam; apermeable second outer web containing pulp fibers, the second outer webcomprising a creped web, the middle web being positioned in between thefirst and second outer webs; and wherein the middle web has a thicknessgreater than the thickness of the first outer web and greater than thethickness of the second outer web, the middle web having a bulk that isalso greater than the bulk of the first outer web and greater than thebulk of the second outer web.
 32. A composite tissue structure asdefined in claim 31, wherein the foam comprises a polyurethane.
 33. Acomposite tissue structure as defined in claim 31, wherein the foamcomprises a high internal phase emulsion foam.
 34. A composite tissuestructure as defined in claim 31, wherein the middle web has a thicknessthat is at least 1.3 times greater than the thickness of the first outerweb and that is at least 1.3 times greater than the thickness of thesecond outer web.
 35. A composite tissue structure as defined in claim31, wherein the first outer web, the middle web, and the second outerweb comprise conventional wet pressed tissue webs, modified wet pressedtissue webs, or mixtures thereof.
 36. A composite tissue structurecomprising; a permeable first outer web containing pulp fibers, thefirst outer web comprising a creped web; at least one middle webcontaining pulp fibers, the middle web comprising a creped web, themiddle web additionally comprising activated carbon; a permeable secondouter web containing pulp fibers, the second outer web comprising acreped web, the middle web being positioned in between the first andsecond outer webs; and wherein the middle web has a thickness greaterthan the thickness of the first outer web and greater than the thicknessof the second outer web, the middle web having a bulk that is alsogreater than the bulk of the first outer web and greater than the bulkof the second outer web.
 37. A composite tissue structure as defined inclaim 36, wherein the middle web has a thickness that is at least 1.3times greater than the thickness of the first outer web and that is atleast 1.3 times greater than the thickness of the second outer web. 38.A composite tissue structure as defined in claim 36, wherein the middleweb has thickness of from about 0.01 cm to about 1 cm.
 39. A compositetissue structure as defined in claim 36, wherein the first outer web,the middle web, and the second outer web comprise conventional wetpressed tissue webs, modified wet pressed tissue webs, or mixturesthereof.
 40. A composite tissue structure comprising: a permeable firstouter web containing pulp fibers; at least one middle web, the middleweb comprising a coform web, the coform web comprising a mixture ofmeltblown thermoplastic fibers and pulp fibers; a permeable second outerweb containing pulp fibers, the middle web being positioned between thefirst and second outer webs; and wherein the middle web has a thicknessgreater than the thickness of the first outer web and greater than thethickness of the second outer web.
 41. A composite tissue structure asdefined in claim 40, wherein the first outer web and the second outerweb comprise creped webs.
 42. A composite tissue structure as defined inclaim 40, wherein the first outer web and the second outer web compriseconventional wet pressed tissue webs, modified wet pressed tissue webs,or mixtures thereof.
 43. A composite tissue structure as defined inclaim 40, wherein the coform web contains from about 50% by weight pulpfibers to about 65% by weight pulp fibers.